Poké Court armed robbery puts other NYC card store owners on heightened alert as they raise security precautions
The premise behind Pokémon is to "catch 'em all," but after a brazen, armed smash-and-grab robbery caught employees and card collectors off guard at a Pokémon shop in the West Village Wednesday night, other card store owners are raising their defenses.
At least one shop, E and J Boutique in Dyker Heights, Brooklyn, is taking special precautions to avoid falling victim to the same type of robbery that struck the Poké Court at 412 W. 13th St. in the Meatpacking District.
"I have a whole new lock system coming with a bell so customers would be buzzed in," Erik Feuer, the owner of E and J Boutique. "We have upgraded security cameras coming that will be connected directly to the police department."
Police have yet to catch the burglars, armed with a gun and hammers, who not only broke glass to steal over $100,000 in Pokémon cards and merchandise , but broke the hearts of card collectors across the city.
"From one business owner to the Poke Court: we feel for you. We are heartbroken by what happened," Feuer said.
Feuer and his wife Jessie own the shop in Dyker Heights. They're doing a number of things differently to avoid carrying high-value Pokémon cards, including not buying back from the public anymore.
"Never again. Not with Pokémon. Sports cards... absolutely," Feuer said.
He called the robbery "sad" and "disgusting," and not good for the community.
"I want to keep doing it, but it's not worth the risk to my customers, to my employees, to my wife and to my business," Feuer said. "And also, to the neighborhood. What happens if guys were to come in here with guns and then run around the neighborhood and rob people. Nobody needs that."
The robbers pointed guns in people's faces during the stick up in the Meatpacking District.
When everyone saw the heist at the Poké Court, this was big news in the Pokémon community, so much so that customers started sharing information about the kind of cards being targeted.
E and J received information showing that a high-value encased card was on the list, and they immediately removed those kind of cards off their shelves.
There are ways which stolen cards can be tracked.
"My wife has been looking all day on eBay, on Whatnot, on all these different apps because, let's put it this way, criminals are usually not that smart," Feuer said.
The Feuer's hope police act quickly.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
Have a breaking news tip or an idea for a story we should cover? Send it to Eyewitness News using the form below. If attaching a video or photo, terms of use apply.
